After the finale: The OC season 2
by ocgurl123
Summary: Set after the finale. Things get pretty twisted in The OC. Now chap. 9 is up!
1. Default Chapter

Seth Cohen adjusted the sail on the Summer Breeze. He looked down at his watch—8:30, he'd have to speed up if he wanted to make it to the next island by sundown. He had been sailing for the past three days; ever since his only friend had left him. The feeling of abandonment overwhelmed him. "This sucks," he thought to himself. He wondered what Summer was doing now. She must have gotten his note by now. Everyday he debated on whether or not he should call her from his satellite phone. "Just pick up the phone and call her," he thought, "just do it and get it over with."  
  
Seth picked up the phone and began to dial the familiar number. Seth's finger trembled as he dialed the last digit. It began to ring. Once. Twice. Three times. "Hi, this is Summer leave a message." "Damn it."  
  
"Um, Summer this is Seth. I just wanted to let you know that I'm OK and that I don't know when I'll be back. Um, I'll call you later. I love you, bye."  
  
Seth hung up the phone as he reached the island of Playa Del Sol. He docked his boat, and laid down in the hammock. Seth began to drift into an uneasy sleep. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------  
  
"Good morning, Ryan," Theresa woke up Ryan from a restless sleep.  
  
"Morning," Ryan grunted.  
  
"You better get dressed, you start your new job at the factory today," Theresa said in a cheery voice.  
  
"Are you sure about this?" Ryan asked her.  
  
"Sure about what?" Theresa replied, clearly confused.  
  
"About me and this job. It only pays ten dollars on hour. How are we supposed to live on that? That's nothing," Ryan said.  
  
"Well, with my job at the bakery and your job at the factory, we'll be OK. My mom said she'd help us out too." Theresa said in an optimistic tone.  
  
"Whatever, I better get going then I guess," Ryan replied, not trying to hide his pessimistic tone.  
  
Theresa was fed up, and she was sick of putting on a happy face for someone who made it clear he didn't want to be here. This was the way Ryan had been acting ever since he moved in with her in the small apartment they rented on the east side of Chino. "Look, if you don't want to be here, then just go. If you don't want this job, then don't go to the factory. I mean, I know this place isn't a poolhouse, but it's all we can afford right now. I thought you were different from all those deadbeat dads, but I guess I was wrong. You're just like your father. Leave me alone. Just get out of my life for good, go back to Newport for all I care," Theresa said through tears of rage.  
  
"That's not fair. I dropped everything to come here and help you with our child, and you have the nerve to call me a deadbeat? You wanna see what the meaning of a deadbeat dad is? Here let me show you." Ryan walked out the door and slammed it in Theresa's face. Theresa fell to the ground and started to cry. With Ryan gone, what was she going to do now? 


	2. 2

Summer Roberts and Marissa Cooper had just come back to Summer's house after a day of shopping. Summer was still very upset about Seth's sudden disappearance. Sandy had come over a couple days ago to give Summer the note that Seth had wrote to her. She had basically memorized it due to reading it every time she missed him.  
  
Summer, This is very hard for me to tell you, but I'm leaving. I don't know when I'm coming back. I don't even know where I'm going yet. With Ryan gone, I feel like there is nothing here for me now. The only thing left in Newport that I love is you. I just need to take some time by myself to figure some things out. I love you, and I will miss you so much. I'm so sorry that I left you. I will be back as soon as I can.  
  
Love, Seth  
  
"Summer, Summer, SUMMER!" Marissa snapped her fingers in front of Summer's face to try and bring her friend back from reality.  
  
"Oh, sorry Coop. I was thinking about"  
  
"Seth," Marissa finished the sentence for her. "Sum, you just have to accept that he's gone for a little bit. He'll be back. He loves you. Trust me, I know how it feels to have your boyfriend be away from you."  
  
"I'm so lucky to have a friend like you Coop," Summer hugged Marissa.  
  
"Sum, your answering machine is flashing. Looks like you have a message."  
  
Summer walked over to the machine and pushed the button. "You have one new message," the robotic voice said. Summer began to cry when she heard the comforting voice of Seth. Marissa came over and hugged her. Summer suddenly had a burst of energy. "He said he'd call back! I can't leave this room. I have to wait for him to call."  
  
"Sum, you can't be locked up in your room all day waiting for a phone call. It's unhealthy," Marissa tried to tell her friend.  
  
"Watch me," Summer said as she laid next to the phone.  
  
"Well, I have to get back to my house anyway, as much as I hate it," Marissa said as she walked out the door. "I'll call you tomorrow."  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------  
  
Ryan walked out of the apartment in a fury. "How could she say I was a deadbeat? How could she say I was just like my father?" Ryan thought to himself. The more and more he thought about it, the more and more it made him furious. Where was he going to go now? The Cohen's? Nah, they had done enough for him already, he didn't want to trouble them anymore. All he knew was that he wasn't going back to Theresa. Not for now anyway. Wait. He could go to Marissa's new house. Yeah, he decided, he'll go there.  
  
Ryan saw a phone booth, and got in. He slid in three quarters and fidgeted in his pocket for the number Marissa had given to him before he left. He dialed it angrily.  
  
"Hello, Nichol residence" a woman said with a heavy Puerto Rican accent.  
  
"Hi, is Marissa there?" Ryan asked.  
  
"Marissa? Oh, yes she just got home from her friend's house. I will get her for you," the woman said.  
  
"Thanks," Ryan replied. After what seemed like forever, Marissa's beautiful voice came through the receiver.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hey, it's Ryan."  
  
"Ryan! Hey!" Marissa excitedly replied.  
  
"Hey. Um, things here aren't really going too well. It's kind of a long story, but the thing is I need a place to go," Ryan explained, trying not to sound too mad.  
  
"You're always welcomed here, well by me anyway, Caleb and my mother might be a different story. Where are you? I'll come pick you up."  
  
"I'm at the corner of 5th and 23rd street. I'll be waiting here for you. Thanks."  
  
"No problem, I'll be there soon." Marissa started out the door when a poisonous voice stopped her cold in her tracks.  
  
"Marissa, where do you think you're going?" Julie Cooper snarled.  
  
"I forgot my purse over at Summer's, I'm going to go get it." Marissa lied.  
  
"You can get it tomorrow. Go to bed. Now." Marissa walked up the stairs to her bedroom. Nothing was going to stop her from getting to Ryan. She snuck out her window and drove off toward Chino. 


	3. 3

As Marissa drove to chino, a million thoughts were racing through her head. Are we back together? Did we even break up in the first place? Where is he going to stay? Marissa drove to the street corner where Ryan stood to meet her.  
  
"Hey," Ryan said with a smile.  
  
"Hey," Marissa replied, trying to contain her excitement.  
  
"Listen, thanks for picking me up and letting me stay with you. I'm sorry that I left in the first place to be honest," Ryan told her, looking at her straight in the eye.  
  
"It's not a problem. With you gone, Newport seems so cold," Marissa told him, looking back at him in the eye. "But hey, the real problem is how we're gonna sneak you into the house without my mom or caleb noticing."  
  
Marissa opened the truck of her car to help ryan put his things in it, although Ryan insisted that he could handle it. As Marissa helped him lift his giant suitcase into the truck, their hands brushed against each other. They both looked up into each other's eyes, and Ryan pulled Marissa closer to him. Their foreheads touched, and Ryan lifted Marissa's chin up a little for a kiss. It was a soft kiss, but just enough to let each other know how much they had missed and loved one another. Marissa smiled and Ryan brushed her hair off her forehead. "Come on, we better get back before your mom notices you're gone." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------  
  
It had been two hours, and no phone call from Seth. Summer had been flipping around the channels without really watching anything. She finally stopped at an infomercial for a weight loss pill. Summer watched it for about a minute, but decided to turn off the TV all together. "Where is he? Why isn't he calling?" Summer thought. Summer laid around for a few more minutes until an idea popped in her head. "I'm lying around waiting for a phone call from some guy that just abandoned me. I must be crazy. He's the one that abandoned me, so why I am waiting around for him?" Just as she was in the middle of her train of thought, the phone rang. "It's probably that jackass Seth," she thought.  
  
"Hello," Summer answered in an annoyed voice.  
  
"Um, hi Summer it's Seth," Seth replied, noticing the tone of her voice.  
  
"Oh, you mean Seth Cohen? The Seth that abandoned me?! The Seth that didn't take my feelings in consideration when he just up and left?! That Seth?! Huh!" Summer said, shouting.  
  
"Yeah, I probably deserved that," Seth said, trying not to make her anymore upset than she already was.  
  
"Damn straight you deserved it!" Summer said, in a fury.  
  
"Ok, I know leaving was kind of taking the easy way out of my problems, but it was a spur of the moment thing. I never planned on it," Seth tried to explained himself.  
  
Summer was not in a forgiving mood, and she didn't care who knew it. "Listen Cohen because I'm only going to say this once. I loved you, but now, all that love is gone. You ruined anything that we had between us by leaving me. It was your own choice, spur of the moment or not. A few hours ago, I would have forgiven you on the spot, but now, the only person I want to forgiven is myself for taking this shit for as long as I did. It's over. Have fun sailing." Summer slammed the phone down. "Serves him right," she said out loud. A few seconds later, the phone began to ring again. She knew it was Seth, but she wasn't going to answer it. They were threw, and that was that. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------  
  
Marissa and Ryan tip toed into the door. The lights were out, and it was hard to see where they were going. Marissa barely knew the house considering she had moved in a week ago. Marissa opened the door to her bedroom, let Ryan in, and softly closed it.  
  
"Ok, obviously you can't sleep in here because of my mom checking in on me every waking second, so I guess you can sleep in the walk in closet. It's about as big as a small bedroom anyway, so you won't be cramped." Marissa told him.  
  
"I could sleep in the closet, or I could sleep..." Ryan gestured toward her bed with a smirk.  
  
"Yeah, you could sleep there and have my mom walk in and call the police on you," Marissa joked.  
  
"Come on, we'll lock the door," Ryan pleaded.  
  
Marissa couldn't resist those baby blues. "Oh alright," she laughed, "but just for tonight."  
  
Marissa began to pull her shirt off to change into her pajamas. Ryan took his off and was only in his wife beater and boxers. Marissa got into a tank top and short shorts. They both got into bed at the same time and pulled the covers over themselves. "Night," Ryan said kissing her on the cheek. "Night," Marissa replied sleepily. Marissa was very tired, so it didn't take her long to fall asleep. Ryan, on the other hand, stayed up for a few hours just watching her sleep. He finally went into the best sleep ever. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- 


	4. 4

Seth looked at his map of the pacific ocean. He was sick of sailing and sick of being alone. This would have been his dream trip under different circumstances, but he felt guilty about leaving Summer and his parents. He looked up into the beautiful blue sky. There wasn't a cloud in sight, and it was a sunny 86 degrees outside. Seth looked at his arm and noticed that he had developed a golden tan over the past few days. He looked down at the picture of Summer that he had brought with him. It was of him and her on the beach. Seth let out a big sigh and knew he couldn't keep this up forever. Soon, he would have to go back to reality. He had debated many times whether or not to go back to Newport, and had once even turned the boat around in that direction, but he never had enough guts to actually head back. Seth looked at the satellite phone, and picked it up. He dialed home, and Sandy answered.  
  
"Hello," Sandy said in a stressed voice.  
  
"Hi Dad it's Seth," he said.  
  
Seth could hear Sandy shouting "Kirsten, Seth's on the phone" and he could hear his mother running into the room. "Hi Seth, having fun."  
  
"I guess so," Seth replied.  
  
"Well that's nice. Your mother and I have been worrying sick about you. We've been staying up all night waiting for a phone call. But it's nice to know you're having fun," Sandy said sarcastically.  
  
"I'm sorry, ok? I was wrong to run away," Seth said in a robotic voice. He was sick of trying to explain himself to everyone.  
  
"Hey, just come home right now," Sandy demanded.  
  
"I'm not ready to come home just yet," Seth replied casually.  
  
"Do you know how close I am to calling the coast guard to come look for you? Your under 18, so I really don't care if you're ready to come home just yet," Sandy mocked, "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Either way, you're coming home right now."  
  
"Ok, I'll come home to a place I can barely stand to live in anymore. My god Dad, you're clueless to the reason I left in the first place." Seth said, annoyed.  
  
"Look, I don't want to argue with you. Do I have your word that you're on your way home right now?" Sandy asked.  
  
"Yeah, but it'll take me 5 days to get there." Seth said, defeated.  
  
"See you in five days," Sandy said as he hung up the phone. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Ryan woke up in almost the exact way that he and Marissa had woke up in Tijuana. He smiled and enjoyed the moment. Marissa woke up a few seconds after he did and rolled over so they were face to face. "Last night I slept better than I have for a long time," Ryan told her. "Me too," Marissa said. Marissa laid her head on Ryan's chest and he stroked her head. Just when everything seemed so perfect, they heard a knock on the door. "Marissa, Marissa open this door right this second," Julie Cooper shouted. "The closet, hide in the closet," Marissa whispered frantically. Ryan tip toed into the closet, and quietly shut the door. "Marissa! Open this door now!" Julie demanded. Marissa walked to the door and opened it to find Julie with a look of anger on her face.  
  
"Marissa, darling, why in the world did you have your door locked?" Julie said, trying to sound calm.  
  
"I was really tired and I didn't want to be disturbed, that's all," Marissa said convincingly. She had a flare for lying to her mother.  
  
"Oh," Julie replied, not sure if Marissa was telling the truth or not, "well, that's fine. I just need to put these clean clothes of yours into your closet," Julie said as she walked toward the closet.  
  
"Oh, I really haven't organized my clothes yet, so you can just lay them on my dresser until I know where I want to put everything," Marissa said casually. Although she appeared to be calm on the outside, on the inside she was frantic.  
  
"Don't be silly, you have a giant closet to put things in. I'll just hang them up for you and get out of your way," Julie said as she opened the door.  
  
"Mom! Wait!" Marissa yelled, but it was too late. Julie opened the door and gasped. Inside, was Ryan standing there. There was only a few pairs of shoes in the closet, so there was no where to hide. "Get out of there! What are you doing here?!" Julie snapped. She had thought things between her and Marissa were improving, but now she thought otherwise. "How dare you bring this, this, this trash into my house! Get him out of here!" Julie shouted.  
  
"Well this trash is my boyfriend, and if he goes, I go with him," Marissa yelled back.  
  
"You'll do no such thing Marissa Cooper," Julie instructed.  
  
"Oh you don't think so? Here let me show you. Come on Ryan, we're leaving," Marissa said as she took Ryan's hand. Julie stood there shocked. "See ya around," Ryan said with a smirk. They walked down the stairs together as Julie shouted at them. "Get back here! Don't you dare walk out that door Marissa!" But they just kept walking, and they got into Marissa's car as Julie kept yelling. "I'll call the police! I'll send you back to therapy! I'm warning you!"  
  
Marissa drove a few miles in silence, when Ryan broke it. "That was really cool of you, standing up to your mom like that."  
  
"I've been wanting to for I don't know how long. The only thing is I don't know where we're going. All I know is I'm not going back there, that's for sure." Marissa said as she shook her head. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------- Summer heard the phone ring, and immediatly thought it was Seth. "Hello," she said in her annoyed voice.  
  
"Summer, it's me, Marissa. Listen, me and my mom got in a fight and I need a place to stay."  
  
"Sure, coop, you know you can stay here anytime," Summer said, concerned.  
  
"Thanks, and by the way, Ryan's with me too," Marissa told her reluctantly. She wasn't sure if Summer wanted Ryan staying there.  
  
"I guess Chino can stay too," Summer said, rolling her eyes.  
  
"Thanks, Sum, we'll be there in a little bit." 


	5. 5

Five days after his phone call with his Dad, Seth docked his boat in Newport Harbor. He gathered his belongings off his boat, and saw Sandy and Kirsten waiting for him in the Range Rover. "Seth, great to see you," Sandy said as he hugged Seth. Seth was confused. A few days ago, his Dad was really mad at him, now he was hugging him. Seth just shrugged and said "great to see you too, Dad." "Seth I missed you so much," Kirsten said, crying and smiling at the same time. "I missed you too mom" Seth said as he went to hug her. Seth put his things in the back, and they drove toward their house. "Home sweet home," Sandy said. Seth had to admit that it felt nice to be home, and know his parents weren't mad at him anymore. The only thing was that Summer had broken up with him. "I have to go over to Summer's right now," Seth said.  
  
"What? But you just got home, sweetie," Kirsten said, confused.  
  
"I know, but I need to take care of something important." Seth told her.  
  
"Ok, but be back at a decent time," Kirsten said as she walked into the front door, "Oh, you might need these." She tossed the keys to the range rover to Seth.  
  
"Thanks Mom, see ya later," Seth said as he got in the driver's seat. He drove at a breakneck speed over to Summer's house. He finally came to a skidding stop in her driveway, and got out of the car. He walked up to the door and nervously rang the doorbell. Summer answered the door and saw that it was Seth, not Marissa and Ryan who she was expecting to be at the door. "What do you want, Cohen?" she said in her usually 'I'm mad at you' voice.  
  
"I came here to apologize to you Summer," he said sincerely.  
  
"It's a little late for that, don't you think, Cohen?" she said, still mad, but she had to admit that she missed him and that he looked really good with a tan.  
  
"Ok, just hear me out. I know that I was wrong. But I'm not going to lose you over a stupid mistake I made. You mean too much to me," he said, desperately trying to get her back. He was so nervous his heart was basically pounding out of his chest.  
  
"You should have took that in consideration when you just up and left me," she said, trying to remain strong. "Look, I just need sometime alone for awhile to think things over, Ok? Until then Cohen." She looked into his deep brown eyes. She could tell this was crushing him. But what was she supposed to do? He had to know that he couldn't just leave her without any notice and expect her to automatically take him back. She still loved him, and she truly did want him back, but he just had to learn.  
  
Seth stood there for a minute, replaying her words in his head. Things between him and Summer were over. He had wanted her ever since he could remember, and when he finally got her, this happens. How could he have been so stupid? Seth's thoughts were cut short when Ryan and Marissa pulled up. Ryan got out of the car and walked up to Seth with a smile. "Hey, man, glad you're back," he said still smiling.  
  
"Yeah, I gotta go back to the house. See ya later," Seth replied still fazed by what Summer had said.  
  
"Seth wait," Marissa said, grabbing his arm "stay. Us four can all hang out together."  
  
Seth looked up at Summer. She shrugged her shoulders in approval. "I guess so."he said trying his best to hide his sadness.  
  
"Hey, we need to go inside. My mom threatened to call the police on me. And trust me, my mom doesn't bluff," Marissa said, looking around. She had barely finished her sentence when they all saw a cop car driving down the street. "Coop, Ryan, go hide somewhere in the house!" Summer said as she pushed them in the door. "I'll take care of these guys." The car pulled up to the driveway and stopped where Summer and Seth stood. Two policemen got out. One was muscular and tan, with short blonde hair and sunglasses. The other was tall and a little overweight, with balding black hair. "Are you Summer Roberts?" the muscular one asked.  
  
"Yes, officer," Summer politely responded.  
  
"My name's Officer Jameson," he said as he flashed his badge, "this is my partner Officer Burrows. And your name sir?" Officer Jameson asked Seth.  
  
"Seth Cohen, I'm summer's boyfri, um, friend," he said to the officer as he glanced over at Summer.  
  
"Miss Roberts, Mr. Cohen, are you familar with a Marissa Cooper." Officer Burrows asked them, getting out a notepad.  
  
"Yeah, she's my best friend. Oh my god, did something happen to her? Is she Ok?" Summer said with a worried look on her face.  
  
"She's Ok, or at least we think so. She ran away from home early this morning. She's been missing ever since. Know anything about it?" Officer Burrows asked her, writing something down in the notepad.  
  
"Wow, I can't believe she ran away. Umm, no. She just told me she didn't like her new house, but she never said anything about running away," Summer said with a shocked face.  
  
"So you're telling us she ran away without telling her best friend where she was going? I don't buy that, Miss Roberts. Come on, tell me. It's a crime to lye to a police officer, ya know." Officer Jameson said with a skeptical look.  
  
"Hey, she said she didn't know anything," Seth said, wrinkling his forehead. When Officer Jameson gave him a 'don't test me' look, Seth added in "officer."  
  
"If you do have any information, here's my card. Call me anytime. Have a nice day. Come on Ted, let's leave these kids alone." Officer Burrows said as they got in the car and drove off.  
  
Summer looked at Seth and said "Thanks for, well, jumping in there. Those guys gave me the creeps."  
  
"No problem." Seth said, looking at the ground.  
  
"Ok, Cohen, I can't do this anymore. Your forgiven ok? Your forgiven." she said, half not believing she actually had said that outloud.  
  
Seth jerked his head up with wide eyes and said, "Really? wow, I..I..I love you Summer!" he said as he went in to kiss her. He was ecstatic to have her back, and she was equally happy to be back in his arms. "Hey, sorry to break up the party, but did you plan on leaving us in there forever?" Marissa said as she looked around to see if the cops were gone.  
  
"Oh, sorry Coop!" Summer said between kisses. She turned around to face Marissa and said, "Bad news. Those cops didn't entirely believe our story, so they might be back here."  
  
"I need to get out of here, but I don't know where to go," Marissa said, deep in thought.  
  
"You could take my boat," Seth suggested.  
  
"Problem is, I have no clue how to drive it. But you do..." Marissa said with a look of hope on her face.  
  
"Oh no. No way I'm leaving without any notice again. My parents would kill me," Seth said shaking his head no.  
  
"Come on, Cohen. We could all four go! Like on a vacation, it would fun! Pleeeeeease!" Summer said, giving Seth puppy dog eyes.  
  
"Oh, alright, but if we get busted it's all your fault," Seth said giving in.  
  
"We better go hurry up and pack, before the police get any leads," Ryan told them all. He knew that it was just a matter of time before the police found out where Marissa was, and if they hurried they could get out of here before that happened. 


	6. 6

"Marissa, you can wear some of my clothes, ok?" Summer said as she pulled her suitcase out of the closet.  
  
"Ok, just as long as we get out of here I'll be fine," Marissa said, grabbing a few shirts and tossing them in.  
  
"What are you doing Coop?" Summer said as she picked up one of the shirts Marissa had put in the suitcase, "green is so not your color. What you need is a nice pink. That'll bring out the rosy color of your cheeks."  
  
"Summer! We don't have time for this! We have to be ready when the guys come back to pick us up." Marissa said frantically.  
  
"Hey, just because we're on the run from the cops doesn't mean we can't look good. Oh and if you're gonna wear that skirt, you have to accessorize with this purse."  
  
"Fine, let's just go please!"  
  
They drug out their suitcases and saw that Ryan and Seth were coming up the driveway to take them to the boat dock. When they got there, Seth and Ryan unloaded all the luggage while Marissa and Summer got in the boat.  
  
"Cohen, this boat is kinda, well, crowded, don't ya think?" Summer said, looking around.  
  
"Sorry, Summer, but this isn't a yacht," Seth said as he let the sail down.  
  
"So where exactly are we going anyway?" Summer asked.  
  
"Good question, maybe the escaped felon can tell you," Seth joked as he looked at Marissa.  
  
"Man, Seth you're just cracking me up over here," Marissa said, sarcastically.  
  
"Alright guys, we need to make some kind of plan if we don't want to get caught," Ryan said. "Maybe we should start with where we're going."  
  
"Tijuana?" Seth suggested.  
  
"No way, too many bad memories there," Marissa said. She wanted to get away, but there was no way she was going back there anytime soon.  
  
"Oh! We could go to Hawaii!" Summer said excitedly.  
  
"Yeah, and maybe after that we could go to China," Seth said, rolling his eyes.  
  
"Why don't we go to like Oregon or something. It wouldn't take long to get there would it?" Marissa asked.  
  
"No, I guess we could go there," Seth said, thinking.  
  
"Ok, Oregon it is then." Ryan said.  
  
Marissa's cell phone started ringing. "Should I answer it?" she said as she looked down to see that it was her mother who was calling.  
  
"Gee, yeah let's answer it and tell her we're running away," Seth said with a laugh.  
  
"No, don't answer it," Ryan said.  
  
"Hey, what kind of person would name their boat coastguard?" Summer said as she read the name on the boat pulling up beside them.  
  
"That is the coastguard Summer!" Seth said with wide eyes. "Oh my god, we're going to jail!"  
  
"Please pull your boat over to the dock," a voice said from a loudspeaker.  
  
Seth pulled the boat back into the dock. Three men got out of the ship and came to the side of Seth's boat. "Would you all please step out of the boat?" one of the men said.  
  
"We got a report of four kids that fit your description attempting to run away from the police." the man said.  
  
"Well, ya know what they say-everyone has a twin," Seth said.  
  
"Look kids, if you go home right now, the police are offering to forget about this whole incident," he said.  
  
"Fine," Marissa said, starting to walk away.  
  
"And one more thing, your license is going to be suspended for two months," the man said to Seth.  
  
"Ok," Seth said as he handed his license to the man.  
  
They all four got into the car, and Seth started it and left the docks.  
  
"Sorry Marissa," Seth said as he drove.  
  
"It's ok, it wasn't your fault that we got caught," Marissa said, dreading the moment when she had to face her mom. "I mean about you having to go back to live with Julie Cooper," Seth said, shivering at the thought.  
  
"Seth, you're not making anything better," Ryan chimed in.  
  
"Sorry Dude, it's just that it has to suck living with her. I mean the lady is cold man."  
  
"Again, not really helping," Ryan said.  
  
Seth pulled up to Marissa's house (or what looks like a castle.) "Good luck, Coop," Summer said as Marissa got out.  
  
Ryan opened his door too and got out. "Ryan, what are you doing?" Marissa asked, confused.  
  
"You think I'm gonna make you face Julie Cooper by yourself?" he said.  
  
Marissa smiled a little bit at how nice Ryan had been through this whole thing. He took her hand and they started to walk toward the house.  
  
"Ok, dude, it's your own funeral!" Seth said as he pulled out of the driveway.  
  
"Come on, we have to face her sooner or later," Ryan said as they opened the door. 


	7. 7

A/N: Thank all of you guys for reading and reviewing! Sorry it took so long to update, but I had a bad case of writer's block! Ok here it goes:  
  
Ryan and Marissa walked to the door and opened it. Julie was sitting in a chair near the entrance with Caleb, and shot up when she say them walk in.  
  
"Marissa, thank god you're alright!" Julie said as she went to hug Marissa.  
  
"I'm fine Mom," Marissa said, surprised that Julie was so, well unlike herself.  
  
"Ryan," Julie said as she pulled back from Marissa, "Sandy and Kirsten have been calling for you."  
  
"Um, yeah, I better go see them," Ryan said as he realized that he hadn't been back to see the Cohens since he had came back to Newport, "Marissa, are you gonna be ok?"  
  
"Yeah, I think I am," Marissa said with a smile. She couldn't believe her mom was acting so nice to her and especially Ryan.  
  
"Ok, well, I better get over there. Bye Julie, Caleb," Ryan said as he walked out the door. "And you," he said as he gave Marissa a kiss goodbye.  
  
THE COHENS HOUSE  
  
"Who's that coming up the driveway?" Kirsten said as she looked out the window.  
  
"It looks like Ryan. It is Ryan!" Sandy said as he opened the front door.  
  
Ryan got out of his car and walked over the Cohens to greet them.  
  
"Ryan, we've missed you!" Kirsten said with tears in her eyes.  
  
"What took you so long to come back? Are we really that bad?" Sandy joked as he gave Ryan a hug.  
  
"It's good to be back," Ryan said, "sorry it took so long, it's just that everything has been a little crazy."  
  
"No, we understand, it's alright. Well, come in," Sandy said as they all three walked inside the house.  
  
Ryan looked around the house. I really did miss this place, he thought. Just as they walked into the kitchen, the phone rang. Sandy picked it up and said "yeah, just a second," with a puzzled look. "It's for you," he said to Ryan. Ryan walked over to the phone and picked it up. "Hello?" he said, wondering who it could be.  
  
"Ryan, it's Theresa," Theresa said.  
  
"Oh, hi," Ryan said, not wanting to talk to her.  
  
"Look, the reason I called was to tell you that I'm going to Atlanta to live with my cousin. Things just aren't working out for me here," Theresa said, wanting to keep the conversation short.  
  
"What? You've lived in Chino your whole life and now you're just leaving?" Ryan asked. Sandy and Kirsten could tell this was a private conversation, so they left the room.  
  
"Ryan, I have to go, I can't stand it here," Theresa said, sounding like she might break down and cry at any moment.  
  
"So you're just running away from your problems,"  
  
"Works for you," Theresa replied.  
  
"So what about our baby?" Ryan asked, ignoring Theresa's comment.  
  
"Ryan, there is no baby anymore," Theresa after a long pause.  
  
"You mean—"  
  
"I had an abortion," Theresa said, finishing his sentence, "After you left I realized that there's no way I could have raised it on my own. It was just the best thing to do for the both of us."  
  
"So what you're trying to say is that it's my fault because I left? I was gonna help you raise the kid, just not live in Chino," Ryan said, trying to control his anger.  
  
"Ryan, I don't want to argue about it. I just thought you should know. Take care Ryan. Bye."  
  
"Theresa? Theresa? Hello! Hello! Are you there?" Ryan yelled into the phone, but Theresa had hung up. He put the phone down, and sat on the couch.  
  
"Ryan! Marissa's here to see you!" Kirsten yelled from the door. Marissa walked in and sat by him. "Hi!" she said as she sat down.  
  
"Hi," Ryan said, sounding sad.  
  
"Ryan, you won't believe how nice my mom has been acting! She said that I can move back into my dad's house if I wanted to, and she said that if I want to date you, then I can! Can you believe that? Isn't it great? I guess my running away was a wake up call to her or something," Marissa said, excited.  
  
"Yeah, that's great Marissa," Ryan said in the same sad voice.  
  
"What's wrong?" Marissa asked, noticing the voice.  
  
"Theresa called. She had an abortion. She's moving to Atlanta," Ryan said.  
  
"Oh I'm sorry," Marissa said, giving Ryan a hug. "But it may have not been your baby in the first place,"  
  
"I know, but there's a good chance it may have been, but I guess now I'll never know," Ryan replied, starring at the floor.  
  
"Ryan, before you left, Seth said something to me that made me feel like this whole thing was my fault."  
  
Ryan looked up from the ground and at her, alert now. "What? What did he say?"  
  
"He said that if it wasn't for me and the whole Oliver thing that you wouldn't even had sex with Theresa." Marissa said, fighting back tears.  
  
"No, no this wasn't your fault! I mean, you've been great through this whole thing." Ryan said, putting his arm around her.  
  
"Sorry. I should really try to not cry so much," Marissa said, wiping away a tear.  
  
Ryan laughed. "Well, you do cry a lot."  
  
"Hey!" Marissa said as she playfully punched him in the side.  
  
"Oh so you're gonna beat me up?" Ryan joked.  
  
"Yeah I am," Marissa said as she threw a pillow at him. The two somehow ended up "wrestling" each other on the floor. Seth and Summer walked in and saw the two. "Hey, break it up, break it up," Seth said as he walked over to them. "Get off him, killer," he said as he pulled Marissa off Ryan. "What where you guys doing? Practicing something out of the karma sutra?"  
  
"Coop, I didn't know you were so kinky!" Summer said.  
  
"Shut up Sum!" Marissa said with a smile.  
  
"Oh, hi Summer, Marissa," Sandy said as he walked into the room. "Seth, Ryan, could I talk to you two in the other room for a minute?"  
  
"Uh, yeah sure Dad," Seth said, a little confused. Seth, Ryan, and Sandy walked into Sandy and Kirsten's bedroom to find Kirsten sitting on the bed crying.  
  
"What's going on?" Ryan said, concerned.  
  
"Julie Cooper called. According to her, Caleb had a heart attack about an hour ago. She called 911, and they took him to the hospital. About 15 minutes after he arrived at the hospital, he died." Sandy said as he tried to comfort Kirsten.  
  
Ryan and Seth stood there shocked. 


	8. 8

"Well, the guy was getting pretty old," Seth said.  
  
"Seth! Have some respect please," Sandy said as he tried to comfort Kirsten unsuccessfully.  
  
"I'm just saying that the guy was pretty old. Plus he had this nasty little vein that used to stick out of the side of his neck which really creeped me out." Seth said, rambling on.  
  
"Seth, please leave. We'll talk about this later," Sandy said, with anger in his eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry about the um loss," Ryan said awkwardly as he and Seth left the room.  
  
"So the old man's dead huh?" Seth said, thinking.  
  
"You're not even the least bit upset about this. I mean the guy was your grandpa," Ryan said as they went back to the living room.  
  
"No, not really. You got to admit, that guy was pretty twisted," Seth said as they entered the room.  
  
"What was that all about?" Summer asked.  
  
"Oh, Caleb er I mean grandpa died like an hour ago," Seth said.  
  
"What? Caleb died? How, I mean, what happened?" Marissa stammered.  
  
"He had like a heart attack or something. Was it a heart attack?" Seth looked over at Ryan who nodded, "Yep, heart attack, it'll get ya every time,."  
  
"I better get over to the house. My mom is probably freaking out," Marissa said in a hurry as she walked over to the back door.  
  
"Wait. I'll go with you," Ryan said, concerned for Marissa.  
  
"Yeah Coop, we'll all come," Summer said as she pulled Seth toward the door.  
  
"Hey! I nev—"Seth protested.  
  
"We're ALL gonna go with Coop, aren't we Cohen," Summer said in a forcing voice.  
  
"Alright," Seth said under his breath.  
  
"Ok, well, I'm gonna try to call Mom on her cell," Marissa said as she grabbed her cell phone out of her purse. She held it up and dialed the number. ring. ring. ring. hi, this is Julie Cooper, leave a message. "She's not answering."  
  
Sandy and Kirsten came out from their bedroom. Kirsten wasn't crying anymore, but her face was still red. She say all the kids starring at her and she gave them a weak smile, and went into the bathroom. "Where are you guys going?" Sandy asked.  
  
"We're trying to get a hold of my mom," Marissa said as she put her phone back in her purse.  
  
"Well, that's the thing. See, no one's heard from or seen Julie since she made that phone call," Sandy said cautiously, trying not to scare the kids.  
  
"What?" Marissa said, panicking.  
  
"She's only been gone for about an hour, so we can't file any type of police report. I don't know if I should be telling this to you guys, but all of Caleb's bank accounts are empty." Sandy said, almost in a whisper.  
  
"Whoa! You mean Julie fled with all of Caleb's money?!" Seth said loudly.  
  
"Shhh!" Sandy said, as he looked at the bathroom door. "Your mother doesn't need to be reminded of it. She's been through so much over this past hour or so."  
  
"I, I just can't believe it. She was so nice to be this afternoon. I guess it was all an act so I didn't suspect anything," Marissa said, her concern for her mother now turned into hate.  
  
"Hey, are they sure it was even a heart attack? Maybe Julie put something into his drink and poisoned the old man," Seth said with wide eyes.  
  
"Because of the circumstances, they are performing an autopsy on him in a few hours. Until then, we have no reason to believe it was something other than a heart attack," Sandy said.  
  
Marissa stood there and shook her head. She knew her mother. She couldn't believe that she was so stupid as to believe the act Julie had put on. "I knew my mother was a gold digger, but I wouldn't imagine in a million years that she would kill someone over money."  
  
"Coop, they don't even know that she had anything to do with it," Summer said, trying to say something to make Marissa feel better.  
  
"Come on Sum! You know how my mom is," Marissa said.  
  
Summer stood there and looked at the floor. Marissa was right and everyone knew it, but no one wanted to admit it.  
  
"Marissa, if you want to stay here tonight you're more than welcome," Sandy said, patting her on the back, "You too Summer." "Thanks Sandy," Marissa said. "Yeah, thanks," Summer added.  
  
"No problem. Me and Kirsten have to go do some legal stuff which will take awhile. We might not be back until late," Sandy said as he walked to the bathroom. He knocked on the door. "Kirsten! Come on, honey, we have to go." A few seconds later Kirsten opened the door and they left.  
  
"I don't know about you guys but I sure am tired!" Seth said as he yawned.  
  
"Cohen, it's only 8:30!" Summer said.  
  
"Yeah I know, but it's not like I was planning on sleeping," Seth said with a sly smile.  
  
"Eww you perv!" Summer said as she playfully slapped Seth. "Looks like I'm not gonna get much sleep tonight," Summer said as she rolled her eyes. The two of them walked upstairs to Seth's room and were gone.  
  
Ryan and Marissa stood there awkwardly. "So are you um, tired?" Ryan asked.  
  
"No, not really," Marissa said.  
  
"We could go in the poolhouse and well, talk or something like that," Ryan said.  
  
"Ok, sure," Marissa said as they walked into the poolhouse.  
  
"So are you ok?" Ryan asked as they sat on the bed.  
  
"Yeah, I think I'll be ok. At least I get to move back in with my dad," Marissa replied.  
  
"Yeah, that'll be cool," Ryan said, careful of what he said so he didn't upset Marissa anymore than she already was.  
  
Marissa laughed. "Why are we wasting this opportunity talking about my mom?"  
  
"Huh?" Ryan said, unsure of what she was getting at.  
  
"We're in the poolhouse, alone. No parents to walk in on us. Seth and Summer on up in his room doing well, you know. And we're just sittin here talking about my mom..." Marissa said in somewhat of a seductive voice.  
  
"Oh..." Ryan said as he went in for a kiss. Marissa pulled back and unbuttoned his shirt. She smiled at his abs and chest. He threw his shirt on the floor and kissed Marissa for awhile longer and he put his hand up her shirt until before long her shirt was on the floor with his. Marissa started to unzip his pants. "Are you sure?" Ryan asked. They had done this many times before but nothing ever got past no shirts. Marissa just smiled. "Yeah, I'm sure." and she a few seconds later his pants were on the floor. And a minute after that, her pants lay on the floor. There they were, making out in nothing but their underwear, each silently daring the other to make the next move. Ryan finally gave into temptation and took off her thong which led to his boxers going off. Ryan and Marissa then made love to each other for the rest of the night. And then finally after both were exhausted, fell asleep.  
  
"Hey!" Seth said as he and Summer walked into the poolhouse. "I made some killer scrambled eggs and—"Seth stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the two of them in the bed and the clothes on the floor. "Who taught you how to walk Cohen?" Summer said as she pushed her way into the poolhouse only to stop cold next to Seth when she saw the same thing he did.  
  
"Ever heard of knocking?" Ryan said as he pulled the blankets over himself and Marissa.  
  
"Ever heard of locking the door?" Seth said sarcastically.  
  
"Give us a few minutes and we'll be in ok?" Ryan said.  
  
"Ok," Seth said as he and Summer walked into the house. Ryan and Marissa got dressed and went into the house and ate some of Seth's eggs.  
  
Sandy walked into the kitchen. "Smells good," he said as he put some on a plate.  
  
"So Dad what's going on? What did they say about the old man? Was he poisoned?" Seth asked.  
  
Sandy was surprised to be asked this so early in the morning. He put his plate down. "They found traces of a substance that could have been some type of poison that caused the heart attack. But the truth is we never will really know if that's what killed him or not. The medical examiner said that the amount of poison in a younger person wouldn't have caused a heart attack, but in an older person it could have. So there you go."  
  
"What about my mom? Have they said anything about that?" Marissa asked.  
  
"Yeah, they found your mom late last night. The police told us she dyed her hair black and had all of the money from Caleb's bank account with her. They said she was probably trying to flee the country and go to Canada." 


	9. 9

"Look kids, me and Kirsten need to go to the police station and do some things," Sandy said as he picked up his plate and got some more eggs.  
  
"What? You can't just say something like that and just leave us here!" Seth said.  
  
"Ok, so you're saying I should go to the police station with four kids?" Sandy said sarcastically.  
  
"Sandy, it's my mother and I think I should be there," Marissa said as she stood up.  
  
"Yeah me too Dad. It is my step grandmother we're talking about," Seth said as he too stood up from the table.  
  
"And I think I should go too. I've known Julie my whole life and I totally need to help Coop through all this," Summer said.  
  
"Marissa, you can come. The rest of you can stay here and um take care of the house," Sandy said as he finished his eggs.  
  
"Take care of the house?" Seth said, disappointed.  
  
"Yeah, you know like water the plants and bring in the mail and stuff like that," Sandy replied.  
  
"So you guys get to go visit a criminal mastermind while I stay here and water plants? I seriously need to get a life," Seth said as he walked up the stairs slowly.  
  
"I'm going to go get dressed and then we'll leave ok Marissa?" Sandy said as he walked to his bedroom.  
  
"Ok, that's fine," Marissa replied then sat down at the table to finish her breakfast.  
  
"Are you gonna be ok? I could come with you if you wanted me to," Ryan said.  
  
"No, it's ok. I think this is something I just have to do for myself," Marissa said shaking her head.  
  
"Ok, but if you need anything I'll be here, watering plants," Ryan said as he rolled his eyes.  
  
"No, Seth is watering the plants. You get to bring in the mail," Marissa joked.  
  
Ryan laughed, "No way. I guess you didn't know this but I have a black belt in watering plants."  
  
Marissa laughed for a few seconds. "Well, I better go take a shower," she said as she stood up and walked into the bathroom.  
  
Seth and Summer went into his room and shut the door. Seth plopped on the bed.  
  
"I can't believe my dad isn't letting me go to see the convict," Seth said.  
  
"Cohen, it's not that big of a deal. Nothing's really gonna happen there anyway. They'll probably sign a few papers and leave." Summer said as she picked up Captain Oats.  
  
"Nothing's gonna happen? Are you kidding? This will be talked about for years. This is National Enquirer material!" Seth said as he took Captain Oats from Summer.  
  
"Ok Cohen, seriously. What's up with you and that horse?" Summer said as Seth carefully put Captain Oats back in his designated spot.  
  
"He just doesn't like to be handled so roughly. Is that lotion you have on your hands hypoallergenic?" Seth said as he patted it on his head.  
  
"No why?" Summer said as she looked at the lotion bottle.  
  
"Because, he is allegic to certain kinds of lotion!" Seth said with wide eyes.  
  
"Ok, well I'm gonna leave before you really start to freak me out," Summer said as she walked to the door.  
  
"Ok, but if he develops a rash you're paying the medical bills!"  
  
Marissa got out of the shower and get dressed. Just as she came out, Sandy and Kirsten came into the kitchen dressed. "Good timing," Sandy said. "Ok, let's go if everyone's ready."  
  
They all three walked out the door and drove to the police station. They walked in and Sandy went up to the secretary.  
  
"I'm Sandy Cohen. I'm here to speak with the officers regarding Julie Cooper," Sandy said to the woman.  
  
The woman flipped through what looked like some type of planner and stopped at a page. "Yes, they've been expecting you. Go down the hallway and go into the second door on the left," She said as she pointed to the hallway.  
  
"Thank you," Sandy said and they all three walked down the hallway and went into the door. There were two officers sitting at a table and on one of the walls was a two way mirror. Julie was sitting in a chair looking uncomfortable on the other side of the mirror.  
  
"Hello, I'm Officer Moore and this is my partner Officer Jennings. I assume you're Sandy Cohen?" the officer asked. Officer Moore was a young guy that looked to be in his early twenties with short brown hair and a goatee. Officer Jennings looked older, maybe in his mid fifties with balding grayish hair.  
  
"Yes," Sandy said as he shook Officer Moore's hand. "And this is my wife Kirsten and this is Julie's daughter Marissa."  
  
Officer Moore and Officer Jennings shook all of their hands and then they all sat down at the table. "Ok," Officer Jennings said, "I'm sure you're all aware of the autopsy results?"  
  
"Yes," Sandy replied and Kirsten closed her eyes to keep from crying at the memory.  
  
"Let me just give you a quick summary of what happened. Around two-thirty this morning, Julie was apprehended by Washington State Police. Apparently, she was trying to cross the border into Canada. A police report was given to the surrounding states with Julie's description and an officer recognized her, and she was put into police custody and eventually she was brought back to Orange County Police custody. From the police search of her car, a large sum of money was found in the trunk that was the exact same amount of money that was missing from Mr. Nichol's banking account. We also found a baggie of an illegal poison that was found in Mr. Nichol's blood. So we have reason to believe that she killed Mr. Nichol then stole his money and tried to flee the country," Officer Jennings said as he read a piece of paper on a clipboard.  
  
"Wow. I, I just can't believe that Julie would be capable of that," Sandy said as he shook his head.  
  
"We do have the money, and after you sign a few papers you and your sister Hailey are the legal recipients of it," Officer Jennings said as he put the papers they had to sign on the table.  
  
"I don't care about the money! I just want to see Julie get what she deserves!" Kirsten shouted. She couldn't take it anymore.  
  
"Kirsten," Sandy said as he gestured toward Marissa.  
  
"No, it's ok Sandy," Marissa said, "My mother can rot away in prison for all I care."  
  
Sandy shrugged and he and Kirsten signed the papers.  
  
"Thank you, that's all we needed," Officer Moore said.  
  
"When are we going to be able to talk to Julie?" Sandy asked.  
  
"Well, she's going to be interviewed this afternoon and it's expected that she'll make a confession. But to answer your question the earliest you'll be able to see her is tomorrow," Officer Moore said.  
  
"Ok, thank you," Sandy said and the three of them left the room and drove home.  
  
"You can stay here again tonight if you want to Marissa," Kirsten said as they stopped in the driveway.  
  
"Thanks Kirsten," Marissa said.  
  
"Well, look who's home!" Seth said as the three walked in the door. Seth and Ryan were sitting on the couch playing video games. "The plants are watered and the mail is in." Seth said in a pretend excited voice.  
  
"I knew I could count on you two," Sandy said as he took off his shoes.  
  
"Dear God, your feet smell like butt," Seth said as he plunged his nose. "Odor eaters are a good thing, Dad."  
  
Sandy ignored him and left the room.  
  
"So how was it?" Ryan asked Marissa as she plopped down beside him on the couch.  
  
"Well, my mom's a murdering theft. They think she'll confess to it though," Marissa said.  
  
"That's good," Ryan said as he fought Seth in the ninja game.  
  
"You know, we should just all get away from this. We should like, take a vacation or something. You know, like a road trip," Marissa suggested.  
  
"Hmm...looks like someone needs to be reminded of when we got that brilliant idea last time! Perhaps you forgot us getting caught by the police," Seth said sarcastically.  
  
"Yeah, except this time we won't be running away from the police," Marissa said.  
  
"Cool, we won't be running away from the police we'll be running away from our problems! Sounds good to me. What about you Ryan?" Seth said.  
  
"I'm in," Ryan said as he beat Seth at the game for the millionth time.  
  
"I'll call Sum," Marissa said.  
  
"Yah!" Seth yelled. 


End file.
